1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to endless loop sorters which have carriers that utilize belts to transport, control spatial orientation and sort numerous items. Followers clasp the belts about the lengthwise periphery of the carriers' slats. The followers also move about the lengths of their respective slats. Select embodiments equip the carriers with guide bearings for the followers. In other embodiments, riders depend downward from the followers' clasps and through slits in the guide bearings to engage lines, diverters, crossovers or receivers. When a diverter diverts a follower from a line toward a crossover transverse motion is imparted to the carrier's belt. Routers incorporating clusters of diverters, crossovers and receivers are used in select embodiments of the current sorter. Use of routers allows a program to control the spatial orientation of items as the items travel along the sorter's endless loop.
2. Description of the Previous Art
a) U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,613—Okura, et. al., enables a carrier including a flat belt (6). The flat belt (6) is capable of transferring items to be sorted at angles transverse to the forward movement of Okura's carrier. Two end portions of the belt (6) are fitted alternately in a folded back manner on the two side rollers (4) and inner rollers (5) and thereafter fixed to two sides of the carrier. Okura's carrier further includes his moving frame (3) that includes a depending roller (7) and depending pin (8). Pen (8) and roller (7) engage actuators (9a-9d) disposed in the transferring passage (2). The '613 moving frame (3) is formed by folding two ends of a narrow plate upward and equipping the frame (3) with a plurality of horizontal (19) and vertical (20) wheels. These wheels engage a pair of guide rails (21), and in operation, the Okura frame (3) moves at a right angle with respect the directional movement of the carrier (1). Importantly, for the '613 invention to function, inner rollers (5) must be arranged inside moving frame (3).
b) U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,676—Suizu teaches a type of cross-belt sorter. Suizu's belt (11) circumscribes his moving frame (4) while rollers (5) engage rails (2) and support the moving frame (4). The '676 drive pulley (13) causes belt (11) to move at right angles as compared with the forward motion of the moving frame (4). As enabled, Suizu's combination of friction wheels (16, 17), drive pulley (13), shafts (16a, 17a), bevel gear (24), shaft (24a), bearings (25), shaft (13a), sprockets (26, 27) and endless chain (28) form the transmission for moving frame (4). In operation, the belt (11) is able to move transversely due to Suizu's elaborate transmission.
c) U.S. Pat. No. 3,231,068—Harrison, et. al. describes an article delivery conveyor. Harrison's conveyor includes platforms (20). Among other structures, each platform includes a plurality of cleated belts (30, 32). The Harrison conveyor utilizes a rack and pinion (46, 48), shaft (36), pulley (38), discs (28), belt (40) and pulley (42) to move cleated belts (30, 32) in a direction perpendicular to the forward movement of the platforms (20).
d) U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,936—Nielson discloses a cross belt sorting conveyor. Among other structures, Nielson's belt (2) is supported by a plurality of wheels (26) mounted in brackets (28) which in turn are carried on vertical shaft pins (30) rotably secured to the base plate (32). Importantly, the '936 belt elements (4) rest on the top of wheels (26) directly with the lower side of the individual cross conveyor belts (12).
e) U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,268—Axmann enables a conveyor system for sorting piece goods. Axmann's combination of electro-magnetically or pneumatically actuated friction strips (36), friction wheel (32), shaft (31), bevel gear (30) and friction rollers (26) drive the sorting device's conveyor belt (18) to revolve toward an ejection station. Since the '268 Patent's friction wheel can be actuated in either direction, the Axmann belt can eject piece goods to either side of the conveyor.
f) U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,830—Kalm, et. al., discloses an electrically actuated bi-directional belt sorter. The '830 carrier (10) includes a pair of rollers (31, 32) supported at opposite ends of the top (12) of the carrier (10). Kalm's drive motor (38) is powered by the electrified track (200). The conveyor belt (36) is actuated by the rollers (31, 32), and in the preferred embodiment, drive belt (52) connects a pair of drive pulleys (54, 56). Kalm's drive pulley (54) is connected to roller (32) while drive pulley (56) is connected to the output shaft (40) of drive motor (38).
g) U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,281—Canziani defines a conveyor and discharge system for sorting items. Using a pair of rolls (4,5), Canziani mounts belt (3) to his carriage (1). The shaft (6) of roll (4) is keyed to pinion (7) for engaging corresponding pinion (8) of shaft (9). When wheel (12) of shaft (9) is seized between belts (13, 14), rotary motion is transmitted to roll (4) causing the belt (3) to rotate to discharge any item thereon.
h) U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,582—Canziani describes a cross-belt sorting apparatus incorporating permanent magnet D.C. electric motors to rotate the rotary belts (5, 14).
i) U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,209—Kofoed enables a cross-belt sorter. The '209 Patent utilizes electric motors for driving each carrier's belt transverse to the movement of the Kofoed endless loop which is consists of a plurality of chassis linked together to form a continuous chain.
j) U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,771—Geerts discloses a sorter utilizing trolleys. Among other structures, the Geerts trolley consists of an endless belt (7) running over pulleys (6). The pulleys (6) are fixed on axle (24). A first cable (25) and a second cable (27) are each wound around the axle (24). The combination of the cables, the axle and the pulleys drive the belt (7) to throw its load off.
k) U.S. Pat. No. 6,513,642 B1—Shearer, et. al. enables a conveyor system having divert shoes that move transversely across the conveying surface. Among other things, Shearer teaches a diverting track network (30) that includes upstream diverting tracks (40) and downstream diverting tracks (50). Each upstream diverting track (40) terminates part way across the conveying surface (1). Downward depending portions of diverting shoes (14) are diverted to specific upstream diverting tracks (40a) through (40g), and downstream diverting tracks (40a) through (40g), and downstream tracks (50a) and (50b) by a dedicated diverter (25a) through (25i). When diverting shoes (14) are not being utilized to push an article off main conveyor (9) and onto branch conveyor (5), they travel in sequence along shoe guideway (8). And when a particular package (70) is to be diverted onto the branch conveyor (5), a signal is sent from control system (60) to divert control module (26) to cause the selective actuation of diverter (25a) and a least one of diverters (25b) through (25i) to divert at least two diverting shoes (14).
i) U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,515—Nitschke, et. al. discloses a segmented pusher controller for a conveyor. A diverter shoe (16) is mounted to each slat (14) and is movable laterally along the slat with respect to the slat. Shoe actuation associated with each sortation spur (18) is provided to imparting lateral force on the shoes (16) to push packages onto the spur. Nitschke utilizes a guide track network positioned below the conveying surface (12) to direct shoes (16).
j) U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,240—Ando discloses an orthogonal branching conveyor for diverting articles carried by a conveyor in an automated warehouse. The Ando conveyor utilizes shoes mounted to slats to push articles off of his conveyors.